Jerzy Rudlicki

Jerzy Rudlicki (14 March 1893 – 18 August 1977) was a Polish Pilot and Aerospace Engineer. Best known for his inventing and patenting of the V-tail (Polish Patent #15938), which is an aircraft tail configuration that combines the rudder and elevators into one system. Rudlicki was also the Chief Engineer of the Polish Plage i Laśkiewicz works, later known as LWS in Interwar Poland.

Rudlicki was born on March 14, 1893 in Odessa. In the years (1909-1911) he constructed seven gilders which resulted in Rudlicki receiving a diploma with honors from the Odessa National Polytechnic University. In 1914, Rudlicki competed officer school and pilot school in Simferopol. Rudlicki served as pilot in the Russian Air Force and in 1917 fought for the Blue Army (Poland) in France under General Józef Haller. Rudlicki also fought in the Polish–Soviet War in 1920 which resulted in Rudlicki being awarded the Cross of Valor in 1921 for his heroics as a pilot during World War I.

In the years (1921-1922), Rudlicki studied at the École nationale supérieure de l'aéronautique et de l'espace, from which Rudlicki received his Engineering degree. From (1922-1925), Rudlicki worked at the Institute of Aviation, Warsaw as head of the experimental laboratory. In 1926, Rudlicki became the Chief Engineer for Polish Aerospace Manufacturer Plage i Laśkiewicz located in Lublin, Poland. Throughout his career as Chief Engineer of Plage i Laśkiewicz, he supervised the construction of both civilian and military aircraft most notably the: Lublin R-VIII, and R IX Torpedo Bomber. During the Interwar Period, Rudlicki was also credited for creating the first retractable landing gear in Poland. In the years (1928-1931) he worked on perfecting the V-tail design which was patented in 1930 as (Polish Patent #15938) and tested on a modified Hanriot HD.28 in 1931. One of the most notable examples of the V-tail design can be seen on the F-117 Nighthawk.

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